Aleuroplatus pectiniferus Quaintance & Baker

Dubey, Anil Kumar & David, Vasantharaj, 2012, Studies on the Indian species of Aleuroplatus (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), with designation of a neotype puparium for Aleurodes alcocki Peal, Zootaxa 3303, pp. 50-58 : 55-57

Aleuroplatus pectiniferus Quaintance & Baker

Aleuroplatus pectiniferus Quaintance & Baker, 1917: 393 –394.

Aleuroplatus ficus-gibbosae Corbett, 1926: 271 –272. Synonymised by Martin, 1999: 48. Aleuroplatus buchananiae Jesudasan & David, 1991: 282 . Synonymised by Martin, 1999: 48. Aleuroplatus distinctus Jesudasan & David, 1991: 283 . Synonymised by Martin, 1999: 48. Aleuroplatus pectenserratus Singh, 1945: 76 –77. Synonymised by Martin, 1999: 48.

Aleuroplatus walayarensis Jesudasan & David, 1991: 285 . Synonymised by Martin, 1999: 48.

Martin (1999) designated lectotypes for A. pectiniferus collected in Lahore ( Pakistan), and for A. ficusgibbosae collected in Sri Lanka. Puparia of A. pectiniferus show variation in the number of teeth in the tracheal folds ( Martin, 1999), and are similar in structure to those of A. alcocki , such that David (1993) after studying a “cotype” of A. ficusgibbosae reported it incorrectly as a synonym of A. alcocki [Martin synonymized them in 1991]. However, the puparia of A. alcocki are yellowish in life, whereas those of A. pectiniferus are black in colour. In A. alcocki , the puparia have gelatinous wax around the body margin with the appearance of filaments, in contrast A. pectiniferus puparia are found without any filaments of gelatinous wax around the body margin. This species has been recorded from Australia, China, Java, India, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi and Taiwan ( Martin, 1999).

Martin (1999) further synonymised A. pectiniferus with the following five species of Aleuroplatus described from India: A. buchananiae , A. cinnamomi , A. distinctus , A. walayarensis (all described by Jesudasan & David, 1991), and A. pectenserratus Singh (1945) . We have re-examined the holotypes of the first four of these and conclude that A. cinnamomi should be considered a valid species, as discussed below, although we accept the other four synonymies.

Material studied. India: holotype puparium of A. buchananiae , on Buchanania lanzan , India, Tamil Nadu, Tambaram, 7.iii.1984, R.W.A. Jesudasan ( IARI, Reg. No. 109/8/8/2); holotype puparium of A. distinctus , on an unidentified tree, India, Karnataka, Aleli (Mysore), 16.vi.1969, B. V. David ( IARI, Reg. No. 109/8/8/7; holotype puparium of A. walayarensis , on Casearia esculenta , India, Kerala, Walayar, 24.iii.1972, B. V. David ( IARI, Reg. No. 109/8/8/3), also one paratype puparium, adult parasitoid inside, data same as holotype ( IARI, Reg. No. 4/25/ 20). Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore, 1 puparium on Polyalthia pendula , 5.iv.1967, B. V. David; Maharashtra, Nahuli, 2 puparia on 2 slides, no host data, 2.ii.1995, S. George; Port Blair, 2 puparia on 2 slides, on Syzygium sp., 20.iv.2001, B. V. David; Gujarat, Vapi, 2 puparia on 2 slides, on Polyalthia longifolia , 26.iii.1995, S. George ( IDAV).